A Student’s View Of An Industry Conference

JCA specializes in casino marketing, both on the B2B and B2C side. So, it’s no surprise that we are a part of the annual Casino Marketing & Technology Conference produced by Casino Journal magazine. It is a can’t miss event for casino marketers and vendors hoping to speak to casino marketers. Because we have made a commitment to mentoring and developing the next generation of marketers, we asked UNLV Center for Gaming Research Director David Schwartz to help us identify a student who might grow from their exposure to this collection of thinkers.

Steven Lo was that student and below is his take on the experience. First, however, we’d like to introduce you to him. He is a recent gaming management graduate of the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. If you ask him what made him follow this path, he’ll tell you, “I love the atmosphere in casinos and I’m particularly interested in how different marketing in casinos could be from other industries.”

Currently, Steven is part of a mentorship program, shadowing various departments at Bally’s Las Vegas, and I can tell you he really enjoyed meeting the variety of industry professionals in attendance at the conference.

Steven, what piqued your interest in vying for this opportunity to attend?

My goal is to create a better gaming experience for a variety of different guests.  By attending conventions and conferences like this, I can learn from some successful professionals.

What was your impression of the conference?

Steven: I was glad to able to attend the Casino Marketing & Technology Conference last month. When I learned about the opportunity, I assumed it had to be one of the largest casino events. For marketing professionals, this event could be greater than G2E as people who are attending the conference are typically focused on marketing field.

What was something you noticed about the show that might have been different from what you expected?

You can always see the fun part of marketing, but this event also spotlights the tools that go into creating the fun, like the many different marketing systems to run a casino business.

Was there anything that you liked in particular?

I really enjoyed the sessions. To learn about the experience of some of the industry’s role models’ – successful and unsuccessful – was a huge benefit of the conference.

Did anything else stand out to you?

During the conference, we mostly all agreed that technology can help our business. But I was really surprised to find, some marketers still work with “ancient ways”, such as using a paper drawing ticket instead of using a computerized drawing system. On the other hand, some casinos keep using paper/printed “snail” mail for some of their high-end patrons because it works the best from their experience. This event is also a great networking opportunity to meet people from everywhere in the US and from some foreign countries with different theories or same beliefs.

Any last thoughts?

As casino operators, we all have the same duty to make profits. However, techniques can vary. Keeping our minds open and thinking outside the box might help to run our businesses better. Las Vegas, a desert, becomes a great location for gaming business because someone thought outside the box.

As a student just starting out in the industry, there was a great deal of information shared with me during this event. Because of this conference, I have enriched my knowledge and I can make better decisions in the future because of that knowledge. Nowadays employers have more options to select the best employees for their companies. Continuous learning will help us be sharper and smarter. With everything that I leaned, I think the 2017 Casino Marketing & Technology Conference will be another great event.

Thank you to UNLV Center for Gaming Research Director David Schwartz and BNP Media for partnering with us in developing future leaders and making the conference available to this student.